as in to frighten
to strike with fear
that foolish woman would be scarified by a mouse
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Recent Examples of scarify
Some will confine their mess to pixels, but surely others will scarify the walls and stain the floors.
—
Justin Davidson, Curbed, 23 Sep. 2021
And some on the platform feel free enough to verbally poke a pop star or scarify Spotify.
—Bill Hochberg, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2021
Justin Davidson, Curbed, 23 Sep. 2021
And some on the platform feel free enough to verbally poke a pop star or scarify Spotify.
—Bill Hochberg, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scarify
Verb
-
But the future Hall of Famer is coming off ACL surgery, might lack mobility, and has a receiving corps that frightens nobody.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
15 May 2026
-
This war has been a disaster for them, frightening away foreign investors, tourists and talent and burdening them with a future of huge new defense bills to deter Iran after the United States is gone.—
Thomas L. Friedman,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Stop using implausible scenarios to scare young people and the gullible with claims about global catastrophe due to future global temperature increases.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
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Sizable jury verdicts scare entities into expensive settlements, which raises the risk pool’s reinsurance costs and trickles down to members.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
Verb
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It was made that much worse when several cast members laughed at her insincerity and Maddi Reese interrupted it several times because there was a stray cat nearby that terrified her.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
-
Because quarterbacks were terrified to throw anywhere near him.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
The scale of what is emerging in China’s northwestern desert has left even seasoned analysts startled.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
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The spray of water should startle any squirrels, deer, or other wildlife trying to sneak fruit from your tree.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scarify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scarify. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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